Henri Coandă International Airport

Architect Cezar Lăzărescu

During World War II, the airport in Otopeni was used as an airbase by the German Air Force. Until 1965, it was a major airfield for the Romanian Air Force, with Băneasa Airport serving as Bucharest's commercial airport. In 1965, with the growth of air traffic, the Otopeni airbase was converted to a commercial airport. The runway was modernized and extended to 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) from the previous 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), making it one of the longest in Europe at that time.[5]

In August 1969, when United States President Nixon visited Romania, a VIP lounge was inaugurated. A new passenger terminal (designed by Cezar Lăzărescu), with a capacity of 1,200,000 passengers per year, was opened on 13 April 1970, for domestic and international flights.[5] An improvement program added a second runway in 1986, expanding capacity to 35 aircraft movements per hour.[5]

In 1992, Otopeni Airport became a regular member of Airports Council International (ACI).

The first stage of the plan (Phase I), taking place between 1994 and 1998, involved the construction of a new departures terminal and of a new airside concourse with five jetways and nine gates (referred to as 'the Finger') as well as the extension of airport ramps and of their associated taxiways.[6]

The second phase (labeled Phase II/IIe) of the plan led to the construction of a terminal dedicated to domestic flights and of a multi-story car park (2003), the complete overhaul of the control tower (between 2005–2007) as well as the transformation of the old terminal building in a dedicated arrivals hall (in 2000). During the same phase, two high-speed taxiways (Victor and Whiskey) were constructed. Phase II was completed in 2007.[6]

The third stage of the plan (Phase III), which started in 2009, involved the extension of the airside concourse ('the Finger') with 15 new gates (nine of which have jetways), as well as the expansion of the Departure Hall (with 8 new gates). The airside concourse extension, designed by Studio Capelli Architettura & Associati, and measuring 17,000 square metres (200,000 sq ft), was inaugurated on 29 March 2011.[6][7] It was followed, in November 2012, by the extension of the Departure Hall to a total area of 38,600 square metres (400,000 sq ft).[8][9]

In March 2012, all air traffic except for business air traffic was transferred from Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (at that time Bucharest's low-cost hub) to Henri Coandă International Airport.

The older of two check-in halls

Arrivals hall

The newer check-in hall

In 2018, 13,824,830 passengers passed through the airport, an increase of 7.95% compared to 2017.[42]

In 2018, the airport handled 13.8 million passengers (63.3% of the total number of passengers carried by Romanian airports) and 39,534 tons of cargo (81.4% of the total amount of cargo handled by Romanian airports).[43]

Annual traffic

Year	Passengers (total)[42]	Change[42]	Passengers (domestic flights)	Aircraft movements[44]	Cargo (tonnes)
2005	2,972,799	-	-	49,593	16,887
2006	3,497,938	17.6%	-	55,056	18,089
2007	4,937,683	41.1%	410,916	67,372	17,423
2008	5,063,555	2.5%	497,208	69,916	22,464
2009	4,480,765	11.5%	496,391	69,692	21,585
2010	4,916,964	9.7%	-	71,481	-
2011	5,049,443	2.7%	-	-	-
2012	7,120,024	41%	-	98,600	26,493
2013	7,643,467	7.3%	-	86,730	28,432
2014	8,316,705	8.8%	-	91,788	29,193
2015	9,282,884	11.6%	502,928	97,218	31,421
2016	10,982,967	18.3%	872,915	108,285	34,125
2017	12,804,191	16.6%	1,289,596	116,718	37,415
2018	13,824,830	7.95%	-	122,966	-
2019	14,697,239	6.34%	-	-	-

Passenger Totals 2005-2018 (millions)

2018

Month	Passengers[42]	Change (2017–2018)	Passengers Cumulatively
January	907,630	7.1%	907,630
February	847,200	4.7%	1,754,830
March	1,005,602	6.7%	2,760,432
April	1,139,852	9%	3,900,284
May	1,182,105	7.2%	5,082,389
June	1,254,710	7.4%	6,337,099
July	1,394,908	8.9%	7,732,007
August	1,424,175	7.9%	9,156,182
September	1,339,889	8.2%	10,496,071
October	1,238,860	7.3%	11,734,931
November	1,063,278	11.1%	12,798,209
December	1,026,621	%	13,824,830

An overpass is being built as of 2020 , that will connect the existing railway to the parking of the Arrivals area. The new station will link the North Railway Station to the airport in a staggering 15 to 20 minutes (according to the chief of the Romanian Railways). As of May 2020 , 60% of the overpass is completed. The frequency of the service is not yet known but speculated to be every 10 minutes.

A direct train service to the main railway station, Gara de Nord, runs from the Airport railway station, about 900 meters from the airport. Shuttle buses connect this station with the departures and arrivals halls; the tickets are valid for the train and for the transfer bus.[47] As of June 2019, works are being carried out to locate the station in front of the arrivals terminal. By 2020 a trip from Gara de Nord to the airport should take no more than 20 minutes.[48]

By 2025, Bucharest Metro Line M6 should open, connecting the airport to the Gara de Nord (Bucharest North) train station, and integrating the airport into the Bucharest Metro network.[49]

RATB Route 783 diagram (connections to Bucharest Metro lines shown)

Henri Coandă Airport is connected to the public transport company STB system. The 780 route provides express bus service to Gara de Nord and Gara Basarab railway stations in Bucharest and the routes 783 and 784 provide express bus service to the city center (Piața Unirii).[50] Route 783 to the city center is running 24 hours a day.

The airport is 16.5 km (10.3 mi) north of central Bucharest, to which it is connected by route DN1. The A3 motorway will connect the future terminal 2 and the city.

As of May 2013, taxis serving Henri Coandă Airport can be ordered using a touch screen system in the arrivals terminal, allowing the taxi drivers to enter the pick-up area. This measure was taken after many complaints from passengers who were being ripped off when using illegal, high-price taxis.[51]

Uber and Bolt are also available at the airport.